Final minutes of police chase near Spiritwood, Sask., heard at murder trial

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Police took this photograph at the scene of the July 2006 shooting east of Spiritwood, Sask. (Court photo)

Jurors at the Saskatoon trial of a man accused of killing two RCMP officers have listened to an emotion-drenched audio recording of the 2006 police chase that ended in the fatal shooting of the officers.

The tape was played for the 12-person jury on Friday at the trial of Curt Dagenais, 44, who's charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of constables Robin Cameron and Marc Bourdages and the attempted murder of Const. Michelle Knopp.

It contains exchanges between RCMP officers in their vehicles and the central dispatch operators during crucial minutes when Cameron, Bourdages and Knopp were pursing Dagenais east of Spiritwood, which is about 270 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

The tapes begin with the voice of Cameron reporting that officers were pursing Dagenais.

"We're heading east," Cameron reported over the blaring sound of her police siren. She conveyed to her superiors that their suspect, in a blue pickup truck, had already reached speeds of around 110 kilometres per hour over dusty gravel roads in rural Saskatchewan

"We have to stop him," Cameron added.

A short time later, Bourdages cautioned his colleagues involved in the chase.

The Crown told jurors Tuesday that Bourdages and Cameron had both suffered gunshot wounds to the head. They died in hospital about a week after they were wounded. Knopp received injuries to her arm, ear and torso.